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Garden Club

June What to Plant

Annuals/Bedding Plants: Annuals that can take full sun during the increasingly hot summer months include celosia, portulaca, vinca, and some coleus.

Palms: Summer’s warm, rainy months are the perfect time to plant palms. Make sure not to cover the trunk with soil.

Herbs: Plant heat-loving herbs, including basil, ginger, summer savory, cumin, Mexican tarragon, and rosemary.

Vegetables: Plant tropical vegetables, such as boniato, calabaza, and chayote

What to Do

Pests: Monitor the landscape and garden weekly for harmful insects. Knowing which insects attack a plant can aid in identification and treatment.

Irrigation: Watch for drought stress and water as needed if rainfall has been spotty. Focus on new plantings and follow watering restrictions. When rains begin, shut down the irrigation system.

Propagation: Produce more plants

by air layering, grafting, division, or cuttings.

Palms and cycads: Watch for nutrient deficiencies or other problems and use an appropriate treatment.

Pruning: Lightly prune summerflowering shrubs, like hibiscus, oleander, and ixora, during the warmer months to increase blooming.

Fertilizer Bans: Numerous municipalities in south Florida prohibit the application of fertilizer to lawns and/or landscape plants during the summer rainy season (June–September). See if such an ordinance exists in your area.

Lawns: Check frequently for damaged areas and keep insects in check with early treatment. Determine whether yellow and brown lawn patches are caused by chinch bugs, disease, or lack of water. Take time to determine the cause so your remedy is effective. Rejuvenate areas where grass does not grow well by replacing it with versatile groundcovers.

Soil solarization: Clean up your vegetable garden and solarize the soil for 4–6 weeks to kill pests and disease. Lightning safety: Be safe outdoors during storm season.

July What to Plant

Annuals/Bedding plants: Summer annuals to plant now include celosia, coleus, torenia, and ornamental pepper.

Bulbs: Butterfly lily and gladiolus are bulbs that can be planted during the middle of summer.

Herbs: While summer is too hot to start herbs from seeds, many, such as oregano and mint, do well if started from small plants.

Vegetables: Plant tropical vegetables, such as boniato, calabaza, and chayote this month.

Palms: Continue planting palms while the rainy season is in full swing. Support large palms with braces for 6–8 months after planting. Do not drive nails directly into a palm trunk.

What to Do

Trees: Prepare for hurricane season by checking trees for damaged or weak branches and pruning if needed. Hire an ISA-certified arborist.

Lawns: Determine the cause of any lawn problems before taking action. If an insect is the culprit, treat only the affected area. Rule out disease or sprinkler malfunction.

Fertilizer Bans: Numerous municipalities in south Florida prohibit the application of fertilizer to lawns and/or landscape plants during the summer rainy season (June – September). See if such an ordinance exists in your area.

Vegetable garden: Use summer heat to solarize the vegetable garden for fall planting. It takes 4–6 weeks to kill weeds, disease, and nematodes, so start now.

Irrigation: Install an inexpensive rain shutoff device to save money by overriding an irrigation system when it rains. If one is already installed, check that it is operating properly.

Pests on ornamental plants: Inspect the leaves of ornamental plants for small white dots that may indicate lace bugs at work. Spray forcefully with water to help control this pest.

Tropical fruit trees: Check for damage to fruit or leaves and take action to minimize the effect of insects and/or disease on developing fruit or the overall health of the tree.

JOHN SABOL

He was born on October 7th, 1947 in Pittsburgh, PA, and has three brothers and three sisters. He attended schools in Pittsburgh and college in South Carolina, North Carolina and New Jersey. He has an M.B.A. degree in Finance.

John served in the U.S. Army from 1967-1970 and received several commendations. John was married and has three children, seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

His favorite hobbies are sports, watching the news and reading. His favorite book is The Bible. John enjoys listening to the “Oldies but Goodies” and his favorite saying is “The train has left the station.”

His favorite movie actor is Tom Hanks. CHARLES (CHICK)

John has been a Gatehouse Attendant since 2018 working from 11:00 PM – 7:00 AM on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

JAKACKI

Chick has been a Gatehouse Attendant since August of 2018. He maintains the gate on Sundays from 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM and on Mondays from 3:00 PM – 11:00 PM.

Chick was born to John and Florence Jakacki on January 27th, 1947 in Cleveland, OH. He has two brothers. He attended schools in Hiram and College at Kent State University, studying Industrial Engineering.

Over the years, Chick has worked for Samuel Moore, Unitherm, and Dekoron & Synflex in the Ohio Division. He has experience as a lab tech, general foreman, and as an Engineer and Quality Assurance Manager. He also worked for Lee County Zoning before his time with Hometown America.

Rachelle DellaRocca 239-322-6386

Chick served in the U.S. Air Force.

He married his wife Barbara on December 6th, 1969 and has two children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

In his spare time he enjoys golfing, fishing and reading. His favorite book is “A Land Remembered.” His favorite music is oldies from the 50’s and 60’s and his favorite actor and actress are John Wayne and Patricia Neal.

Charles (Chick) Jakacki John Sabol MEET OUR GATEHOUSE ATTENDANTS

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